Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Casino Opening Pushed Back Again
Racino GM hired; state sets conditions

January 26, 2010

The date for the opening of Horse Racing at Raton's temporary casino has been pushed back again, and when it does open, the first thing it will be offering won't be slot machines, but rather simulcast horserace wagering.

The New Mexico Racing Commission last Wednesday was introduced to the new general manager of La Mesa Race Track & Casino while the commission introduced new conditions on the racing license it formally awarded for the planned Raton racino last January.

The racing commission is requiring that by its Feb. 25 meeting, Horse Racing at Raton have completed the temporary venue for simulcasting and have a completed simulcasting contract, have a completed contract for the construction of barns, and submit to the commission a plan for the grandstand and paddock area, as well as a plan for installing the track surface.

The new general manager for the racino is an industry veteran, Rick Henson, who said the hope is to have the temporary casino's simulcasting open to the public by the end of February. The 300 slots are scheduled to be up and running sometime after the simulcasting begins, but Henson did not know the timeframe for the slots since he was only officially hired Wednesday and the slots installation is being overseen by a pair of specialists, one from Phoenix and one from Florida.

The conditions to be fulfilled by the Feb. 25 deadline set by the racing commission this week call for the temporary simulcasting facility to be complete, but do not require the venue be in operation by that date.

Horse Racing at Raton President and project developer Michael Moldenhauer told the commission last week that the tent structure that will house the temporary casino in south Raton will be done "as soon as possible." He declined to set a specific date, but told the commission he would be "pleased to meet" the Feb. 25 conditions.

With Wednesday's update to the racing commission, state racing and gaming officials realized Moldenhauer's self-imposed Jan. 31 deadline for opening the temporary casino would not be met. That goal was set when Horse Racing at Raton found it could not meet its previous timeframe of opening the temporary casino by Jan. 1. Moldenhauer was scheduled to give a formal update on the Raton project to the New Mexico Gaming Control Board this past Thursday afternoon.

Following the racing commission's meeting Wednesday, commission Executive Director Julian Luna said he considers the conditions "very doable" by Feb. 25 and re-emphasized the commission is still "trying to make it happen" when it comes to a successful Raton racino.

Racing commission Chairwoman Marty Cope said if the conditions are not met by Feb. 25, the commission will decide then what further action to take.

Cope said everybody was encouraged by the hiring of Henson as general manager.

Henson's introduction at the racing commission meeting Wednesday drew a warm welcome from commissioners and horsemen who knew him from his earlier days working at New Mexico tracks. "He really knows how to put it together," said Anna Faye Davis, executive director of the New Mexico Horse Breeders Association.

Henson, who currently lives in Kansas City, Mo., plans to relocate to Raton sometime in February. He said on Thursday he is looking forward to "getting back in the game again" and being part of the "challenge of putting together a new project."

Henson said he has been "semi-retired" since 2003 when he left Orange County, Calif.'s Los Alamitos Race Course, where he was president and general manager. He has also served as general manager at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., and The Woodlands in Kansas City, a track he helped open. Henson's New Mexico horseracing background includes a stint as general manager at Ruidoso Downs from 1983 to 1990. During the first three years of that time period he also was general manager for Sunland Park while that track was under the same ownership as Ruidoso Downs. Henson's first job in the industry was as the public address announcer at the Downs at Santa Fe when it opened in 1971.

Moldenhauer called Henson "as high profile as I could find" and praised his "lifetime of experience" in the industry.

With a general manager in place, Moldenhauer is still considering adding a second investor to the Raton project, he confirmed this week. Moldenhauer - a Toronto-area real estate developer - remains the sole investor in the Raton project, but he hopes to add a "New Mexico partner" soon. He said he has received a number of inquiries from potential investors within the state and he hopes to select one from among the interested parties.

Moldenhauer last week also said Horse Racing at Raton hopes to begin advertising for employees for the temporary casino this week. He said plans call for 100 to 120 employees. Raton's Eric Culver - who stepped onto Horse Racing at Raton's board of directors this week as he turned over the general manager title to Henson - estimated it will take about a week to train employees.

Culver, who worked with Henson at Ruidoso Downs years ago, said the slot machines will be purchased and leased from a variety of companies. He explained that what qualifies as slots includes not only the traditional slots, but other gambling machines such as video poker and video blackjack. He said "technical" issues with the wiring preparation for the slots have contributed to the failure to meet the Jan. 31 date to open the temporary casino.

Money from the initial casino operations is to build the horseracing purse fund - where the prize money comes from - for the inaugural 60-day race meet scheduled to begin May 28. Moldenhauer has said the racetrack and barns will be erected in the spring. The permanent casino - to house 600 slots - is expected to be built after the first racing season.

The racing commission previously indicated to Moldenhauer it wanted to see Horse Racing at Raton by Jan. 31 have the temporary casino up and running, have a general manager hired and a contract signed for the installation of the barns. The commission's previous statements were relayed only informally, unlike Wednesday's conditions, which were put in the form of a formal order.